This invention relates to drug testing. More particularly, this invention relates to color change indicia chemical reagent drug testing, and to apparatus and method steps for facilitating color change indicia chemical reagent drug testing.
Conducting tests for the presence or absence of drugs is known. One method of testing for the presence of a drug is to mix a reagent with the substance to be tested, which indicates the presence of a drug by a color change. Commonly known chemical reagents for color change indicia testing for the presence or absence of controlled substance drugs include Meyer's reagent, Marquis reagent, Nitric acid reagents, Cobalt Thiocyanate reagent, Dille-Koppanyi reagent, Mandeline reagent, Mecke's modified reagent, and Diazepam/Valium reagent. Classes of controlled substance drugs which are detectable through reagent color indicia testing include barbiturates, amphetamines, opiates, and synthetic opiates.
In order to test for the presence or absence of controlled substance drugs, a reagent, for example liquid nitric acid, is commonly held in an unsealed container. Thereafter, a test subject fluid, for example a fluid suspected of including the opiate Demerol, is introduced and mixed with the nitric acid fluid within the open-ended container. A change in coloration of the solution represents a positive result, indicating the presence of an opiate. The absence of any change in coloration indicates the absence of opiates within the test subject fluid.
However, the performance of such chemical reagent drugs tests suffer from a number of drawbacks and deficiencies. For instance, the test described above typically requires one or more measuring steps and the manipulation of various vials, which can be time consuming and inconvenient. Moreover, the aforementioned technique may result in mis-measurements, inaccuracies, and spillage of liquids, which may compromise the reliability of the test results. Furthermore, the vials and vessels used to perform such drug tests commonly have no capacity for preserving the results of a test for future observation.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a convenient apparatus and method for testing for the presence of a drug that substantially reduces mis-measurements, inaccuracies and the spillage of liquids while providing for the preservation of the test result. The present invention fills these needs as well as other needs.